and other facts we made up

Art Therapy

Sometimes when a kid has parents who are going through a divorce, the adults in his life decide that he might benefit from art therapy. What is art therapy, you ask? By one definition, it is: the therapeutic use of art making, within a professional relationship, by people who experience illness, trauma or challenges in living, and by people who seek personal development. Through creating art and reflecting on the art products and processes, people can increase awareness of self and others cope with symptoms, stress and traumatic experiences; enhance cognitive abilities; and enjoy the life-affirming pleasures of making art.

Using our own definition it is: the third most fun type of therapy for children after candy-eating therapy and playing video games therapy. We know, we know. You probably think this is dumb. But that’s only because every art teacher you ever had in school was a stupid jerk. Just like the librarians. But if you really think about it, maybe there are benefits to a kid getting out some feelings by putting crayon to paper. This got us thinking: if kids can do it, why can’t we? As adults, we are much better at drawing than stupid kids are! So we decided to try some art therapy ourselves.

Jeanne’s Art

What I’d like to say about my art: I wanted to draw an angry bear, so I did. I wasn’t really sure why. In the end, I think the bear represents me. There’s also a bird. The bird is just a bird, though.

Jessica’s Art

What I’d like to say about my art: My ex-husband was actually much taller than me, and he never wore hats.

The Verdict: We don’t feel any different at all. But we did completely waste three minutes of our lives.